KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Most of us are familiar with sky juice, the moniker for a glass of plain water. But cloud juice?

While treated piped water and underground sources of water provide an ample supply of sky juice, cloud juice is literally tapped from the clouds — rainwater, to be specific.

Over the past two years or so, the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) has been conducting research on harvesting rainwater and converting it into potable water, and even studying the feasibility of bottling it for commercial purpose.

Bottling rainwater may be new in Malaysia, but several countries are already processing rainwater into potable water.

In Tasmania, in Australia, rainwater is being harvested on King Island, which is said to have the cleanest rainwater in the world. The water is processed and bottled and sold not only in the domestic market but is exported as well.

Malaysia has ample potential to tap this natural source of water as it is blessed with about 3,000mm of rainfall a year.

First in the nation

According to NAHRIM Director-General Datuk Ir Ahmad Jamaluddin Shaaban, Malaysia may one day produce its own drinking water processed from rainwater, and his institute has coined a name for it — Tropical Forest Cloud Juice.

The first half of its name denotes the pristine rainforests of Taman Negara in Pahang, which will be where the rainwater is harvested from. The national park has the cleanest air quality in Malaysia.

“We only want rainwater which is of the best quality,” said Ahmad Jamaluddin. “Taman Negara was chosen because it’s a forested area and situated away from industrial zones... the environment there is peaceful, clean, unique and ideal for our purpose.”

Rainwater, besides being “fresh”, has a unique taste. But rainwater has to go through a thorough filtering process to remove pollutants.

“Rainwater is generally cleaner and we don’t have to use chemicals or chlorine to kill any germs,” said Ahmad Jamaluddin. “Furthermore, its mineral content is also low and is, therefore, suitable for those on a low-sodium diet.”

In the old days, people used to wash their hair with rainwater as they believed it kept their crowning glory healthy and shiny. There is probably some truth in this because rainwater has neutral pH — that is, it is neither acidic nor alkaline — and is free of salt and harmful minerals.

It is also believed that the authentic taste of tea is evoked when it is brewed in rainwater.

High-tech filtering

Illustrating how rainwater was processed for drinking, Ahmad Jamaluddin said it would have to go through an initial filtering process to remove dirt and debris such as dried leaves before being stored in a tank.

“The rainwater collection system consists of a tank with a roof over it where the water collects. It then flows through a gutter where it is filtered before flowing into the tank proper.”

The actual treatment and bottling processes takes place at a separate plant.

Ahmad Jamaluddin said the treatment and filtering process requires the use of high technology, including ultra violet rays, to destroy bacteria such as e-coli, before the water is ready to be bottled.

He said NAHRIM would collaborate with the private sector to set up a plant to treat and bottle rainwater. “While we can provide the technology, the private sector has to provide filtering equipment of various sizes for the purpose of treating rainwater.

“We’ll only carry out rainwater harvesting and collecting in Taman Negara but the treatment and bottling processes will be done elsewhere,” he said, adding that NAHRIM would cooperate with the Wildlife and National Parks Department to harvest the rainwater

Meeting safety standards

The health and safety levels of the filtered and treated rainwater have to meet the standards imposed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) before it can be bottled for commercial use.

“We have been conducting research on this matter since end-2012 in order to produce water that met the required specifications,” said Ahmad Jamaluddin. “We’ve completed our research and we also have the technology.

“Right now, we’re at the final stage and hope to get a licence from MoH in two months. After that, we’ll start promoting bottled rainwater.”

He said if Tropical Forest Cloud Juice was well accepted by the public, NAHRIM planned to “spice” up the product by adding flavours to the drink. If the bottled rainwater found its way to overseas markets, it would not only be a boost for the local industry but also popularise Malaysia and Taman Negara.

On how NAHRIM intended to market the bottled drinking water and price it, he said no concrete plans have been made at the moment.

“Tasmania’s bottled rainwater industry is quite advanced and it exports to niche markets, with the product being quite highly priced.

“In Malaysia, the price will depend on market demand... if the company feels it can sell it at a cheap price, then why not? We can sell to niche and other markets, with the price depending on the type of water that’s being marketed,” he said. — Bernama